Israeli navy on alert after Iranian missile hit freight ship off UAE coast
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The Israeli navy is on high alert after an Israel-owned freight ship was hit by an Iranian missile in the Arabian Sea, according to the reports by Al Arabiya correspondent.
Israel's top-rated Channel 12 quoted unnamed Israeli officials as blaming arch-foe Iran for the assault, which it described as a missile strike. There were no casualties and the ship continued on its course, as reported by Reuters.
Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television channel, citing sources, identified the vessel as the Hyperion Ray.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Tuesday claimed that it was aware of a possible incident that occurred off the coast of Fujairah.
Iran has been blamed for the attack on the ship, according to Israel's top-rated television station Channel 12 quoting unnamed Israeli officials.
However, there has been no official confirmation from the Israeli or UAE authorities though a spokesman for Israel's Transportation Ministry said that he was aware of the reports but could not confirm them, according to Reuters.
The incident happens a day after Iran accused arch-foe Israel of sabotaging a key nuclear site and after Iran and the United States began indirect talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran after U.S. President Joe Biden took office.
Last month an Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, two weeks after an Israeli-owned ship the MV HELIOS RAY - owned by the same company as the Hyperion Ray according to a UN shipping database - was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman.
